Summer Limbo Land

Well, this has been a very interesting period of time so far for me. It really is difficult to describe. I feel free, in some regards, and more bound in others. I have yet to start a job, although I have been hired part-time by Urban Outfitters (starting the 26th), and am in between interviews with another store for a second job. Kellan and I have an apartment pre-leased for August. Although I've worked hard to take care of my responsibilities as a budding freelancer, it feels a bit like I'm living in the Groundhog Day movie! Every day is very similar to the last.


Regardless, I've made some significant progress with my illustration. At the end of June, I mailed out my roughly 650 postcards. That was an all-day ordeal, putting on stamps and addressing that many postcards takes a great deal longer than you'd expect. Toting them all in a shoebox to the post office certainly got me some strange looks! I also forgot to mention in my last post that the illustration department at SCAD offered to pay me for my portfolio book, to keep as a sample, but I declined. I couldn't give away my baby! So, instead I mailed them a disc copy of the PDF files. I've also prepared my tear sheet packets to be mailed as soon as we move into our apartment.

A couple weeks ago I received an email from one of my cards. I shouldn't name the company, since they haven't given me any work, but they were impressed by my portfolio and are asking for me to submit additional work soon (they need something slightly more specific in purpose than I have just yet). I'll let you know if this goes anywhere, but even if it doesn't, it was a very nice surprise, since I wasn't expecting to get any responses from my first mailers!

The biggest and best news of all though is several months in the making! Today I can officially announce my involvement with the Square Carousel Illustration Collective! It is a group of ten illustrators who met at SCAD and graduated this year. Josh Heinsz organized the group in a bout of complete genius, carefully selecting artists whose styles and personas mesh well together. I see our aesthetics as a gradient-- one person's work may be similar to another, who is similar to another, who is similar to another... The group will have bi-weekly challenges, and will act as a self-promotional tool, also giving us an opportunity to share advice and contacts with ease, now that we are spread across the country (and Canada!) The first challenge was to create our carousel animal, which will be synonymous with our name on the site. Here's mine:


"Happy Carousel Raccoon," Gouache, 2011.

Click here to check out our website! And here for our Twitter. Aaaaaand here for our Facebook page! Please like it, if you're on Facebook!

That's all I have for you at the moment. Check back soon!

adios
caitlin

One last post as a student...

Can you believe it?!! I'm having a hard time realizing that my entire purpose for the last 18 or so years of my life is now coming to an end. School has been my job, and I have to say, as much as I complain about this or that, it really has been very fun, and I know I'll really miss certain parts of it.

Anyway! Avoiding the emotional and now onto some artwork. Last I left you, I still hadn't received any Getting Published jobs. Well, HOORAY, because that curse has lifted, as I was finally chosen!

First a couple other sketches that weren't picked:


This is for an article in Bay State Parent magazine. The story was about a young woman who loses her beloved family dog. The event makes her realize what she has really lost was that innocent, close relationship she once had with her father. I chose to depict this mourning instead of that of the dog, but the magazine had a more specific other image in mind. I still really liked my sketch for this, though.


For this sketch, we were asked by Crayola partnered with Cartoon Network to create a simulation of chalk-board drawings. The image was to be of a child participating in a sport (we were given a short list to chose from), and then the chosen artist would actually draw this onto a chalkboard, which would then be spray-fixed and not erasable. These chalkboards would accompany the companies as they went on a promotional tour, allowing children to also draw on the board, possibly attempting to re-create our illustration. I was really excited about this job, but unfortunately, my professor did not see my email submission (although I was the first to turn it in, ironically), and it did not make it to the client on time. Completely not my fault, and a big bummer, but I suppose I wouldn't have had much time to spare for the project anyway. I usually don't work digitally, so this was a challenge that I'm happy with the result of.

Regardless, I still won a job with What's Up Annapolis? magazine! The article is about house prices/purchasing/browsing. Four people were chosen to complete a piece (this is the feature article, so we will be spread over several pages), but I was the only one to be asked to complete both of my sketches! What a relief and excitement this was! Here are the sketches:



The first is illustrating housing prices, with the addition of digital color just to help a bit, and the second is showing the concept of "full circle." One day the young family will be old as well, passing their house along to the next generation. The circular composition is intended to help this idea along.
And here are the finals!


"House Prices," Gouache and Digital, 2011.

"Full Circle," Gouache, 2011.

I kept with the same color palette intentionally. Hopefully they will be placed near one another in the article, which will be out in September, by the way!

In other news, I've pretty much wrapped up creating all my self-promotional materials. Here are a few pictures of it looking all fancy together:

Mailer list, promo envelopes, postcards, business cards, and portfolio.

Postcards and business cards

Portfolio exterior and case (so pretty!)

Portfolio first page (my prints all look great, for once! Thank you Gulfstream!)

Another portfolio page, showing the design layout.

My little name tag. =)

Now I am officially professional! Also, quick news: I got my "Rabbit" piece back from Hong Kong, safe and sound, and lookin' good in the frame (which I never saw before!). Finally, I am officially in the 100 Sketches From Life Club from last quarter's Portfolio class.

Oh! And how could I forget? My painting for the mural, which seems like it unfortunately won't happen. Or, at least while I'm in Savannah.


"Counting Mural," Gouache, 2011.

And the last announcements for the day: Thursday, June 2nd and Friday, June 3rd are the senior shows I'll be participating in. Thursday is the Communication Arts Senior Show, and Friday is the Illustration Senior Show. If you're in Savannah, ask me for directions and stop by! There will be lots of pretty art to see.

As you may have noticed, this blog is looking a whole lot spiffier lately! Keep an eye for an updated site sometime soon too...

That's all for now!
adios,
caitlin

A few finishing touches

Hello all.
Just two more weeks until the end of the quarter. This one has been quite the ride! It has been very difficult, but rewarding. I have just a short paper, take-home exam, Rolling Stone portrait (this is for Survey, I am going to draw Elvis Costello), and one printmaking edition left to complete. I finished up my third edition today in the print studio, and I am quite pleased with it! Unfortunately, I have no images of it just yet. I do, however, have a picture of my previous woodblock print. The assignment was to use color. It is somewhat frustrating to me, because I am usually really good with color, but this project just wasn't working out for me. It isn't terrible, but it isn't a portfolio piece, either.



"Goose 3/3" Woodblock relief print, 2010.

Sorry for the poor quality photo, as well!

Some good news though: I FINISHED MY BOOK! Hurrah! Just like my first one, it is for sale on Blurb.com.

Which Pet?

By Caitlin Alexander

Book Preview

I am very pleased with this. I put so much time into it! All the images are gouache with collage-- just for specific articles of clothing on the children and/or their family and friends. Here are a few images that will probably go into my portfolio:



"Rabbit Helps Simon," Gouache and collage, 2010



"Maggie Explores," Gouache and collage, 2010



"Which Pet?" Gouache, 2010

I have ordered a few copies of my book, and will let you know how they look when I receive them. And be sure to check it out on Blurb, even if you don't want to buy one!

Other big news: I am looking into traveling to New York this summer with the school. It's a week-long seminar that will count as a class for me. The opportunity is incredible. We will get to show our portfolio to potential big-name clients (Scholastic is one I am thrilled about!), meet current extremely successful illustrators, visit what is basically the core of the illustration field- the Society of Illustrators and Brandywine school, visit museums, and more! I really, really hope this works out. It would open so many doors and change the way I see illustration. So, anyway, I'll keep you posted on that, also!

Time to do some laundry.
adios
caitlin